My favourite things about Cardiff

I guess by now you know how much I love this city, so chosing my favourite things about it was hard as hell, but here you go !

My absolute favourite thing about Cardiff is its beautiful weather … oops wait, let me start again …

🤝 The friendliness
My absolute favourite thing about Cardiff is the kindness of its residents. I travelled to quite a few cities in Europe, but this is the first city I’ve ever been to where people are that nice. I mean literealy EVERYONE is super friendly.
Shopkeepers, university staff, club security, random people in the streets … I am still amazed by the supportive atmosphere of this city. People are always happy to help, happy to talk, and happy to smile ! They stop in the street when they see you desperately lost (true story), they don’t grumble when you ask them to repeat something… This is what really made me fall in love with this city.

🌍 The diversity
Cardiff is a very very diverse city, both in terms of architecture and of residents. Due to its capital city status and to its great universities, Cardiff gathers students and residents from all over the world. I guess this cosmopolitan aspect was enhanced by the fact that I was an Erasmus student, but I was meeting people from all over the world every day, and that was amazing !
Cardiff architecture is also quite unusual, in a good way ! The mix of ancient and modern buildings makes it really unique, but I find them to be harmonising pretty well !

👌 The perfect size
Cardiff is rather small for a capital city, but I come from a small town myself, so I found its size perfect. It has all the advantages of a capital city, without the negative aspects.
It is a lively city where you can never get bored ! It has a huge amount of shops, of pubs, of services … everything really. But you don’t have the feeling of being lost in all of this. Everything is about a 20 minutes walk away from wherever you are, so everything is easily accessible, and there is a distinct city center, so it’s easy to find your way around the city (take it from a girl whose best friend is Google Maps !).

🏉 Rugby !
Maybe this is because I come from a city where rugby is like the official sport, but being in Cardiff during the Japan World Cup and the Six Nations was amazing. Every pubs were broadcasting the games, and we would get there 1h early to get a table – that’s how much lively it was. Even for the Wales VS France game, the general atmosphere was great. We would cheer for France and applaud Wales good actions, and the other way around without any hard feelings !
Enjoying an English breakfast while chatting with friendly Welsh supporters became our week-end routine during the World cup !
If you go to Cardiff you definitely have to go watch a rugby game !

🎉 The student life
Cardiff’s student life is quite something. A huge amount of events are organised for Erasmus students, and they were great ! If you go on an Erasmus programme, I highly recommand you go to as many international events as you can, this is where you will meet your mates ! Keep in mind that every student on an abroad study programme is looking for the same thing as you : make good friends to share this experience with !
Cardiff student life is also mainly managed by the Student Union. It’s a huge building right in front of Cardiff Uni main building, in which you wil find … everything really, from an IT repair store to a club. I’ll probably make a whole article to give you a better idea of how amazing it is. Anyway, they organise events like parties and trips for a fair price, as all the activities are made for students (and everybody knows students are broke). So, you can go and spend the day in Oxford, or to Birmingham Christmas market for something like £20 ! You won’t meet any Peaky Blinder but it’s still worth it !
You’ll get a student card that will give you access to great discounts so remember to always have it with you ! You’ll pay only £2.90 for the cinema and cheaper pints in some pubs so don’t forget it ! (It also gives you discounts for cultural activities such as visiting Cardiff Castle, so don’t forget to use it to strengthening your knowledge alright ? And then you can go have your cheap pint !)

🍻 The pubs… obviously
In France we have some cool bars, but nothing to be compared to Cardiff pubs. There are so many ! And all of them are great. First, they really offer a wide choice of beers, there’s almost no way you won’t find one you like – and if you don’t like beer at all, it’s alright, they also offer good cider ! When I arrived in Cardiff, I was more of a white wine drinker myself, but now I will totally turn down a glass of wine for a pint (my frenchiness is slowly fading apparently …).
What I like best about the pubs in Cardiff is that they all have their own atmosphere, you will never feel the same from one to another ! From a retro designed pub with jazz concerts to a more rustic one with its cheap beers and its regulars, you will never get bored !

So in a nutshell, before you know it, you may be drinking a cheap pint of good beer in a pub with an other Erasmus student and a friendly guy who helped you find your way there 20 minutes earlier, planning a trip to Bristol and buying a Welsh rugby team shirt !